Cafe Gracideas
by TopazSunshine
Summary: Every day, I wonder why he saw me, when a thousand other girls saw him. —RedYellow
1. Chapter 1

_AN  
Big thanks to DiamondGigas for being an amazing beta :D  
__  
Hey readers! Okay, I'll save the rest of my author notes for the end. Anyway, what I just want to say is that this story setting is not completely mine. I was inspired by a story (Letters to Nobody) by Giselle d'Angouleme. I loved the way how the cafe in her story operated with day and night shifts. However, instead of using Vocaloids, I will be using our Pokedex Holders :) And fear not, because the plot from Letters to Nobody will be completely different from my story. Anyhow, I hope you will like my very first multi-chapter story! Enjoy!_

* * *

_Not sure if you know this  
But when we first met  
I got so nervous  
I couldn't speak  
"Beautiful In White", Shane Filan_

* * *

I was late.

Pushing through the crowd, I gripped my shoulder bag more tightly as I navigated through the sea of office workers and sleepy teenagers.

Checking my watch, I realised that I still had at least five minutes and with renewed hope, I found a last burst of energy and ran towards my destination.

* * *

Cafe Gracideas.

Weird name, I know, but hey, it's Boss' choice, not mine.

With a triumphant grin (at the fact that I still had two minutes to spare), I pushed open the door and entered the cafe.

"Late again, Yellow?"

I give a somewhat sheepish grin to the redhead standing nearby, who was currently arranging the chairs around the wooden tables.

"I have a good reason!" I protest as I make my way through the chairs and tables, my hand running through my windswept hair as I do so.

"Staying up late to watch one of your chick flicks is not a good reason," the redhead, Silver, replies, smirking as I passed by him. I roll my eyes, exasperated, and head towards the back room.

* * *

I step into the back room and head towards the female changing rooms, running my fingers through my hair as I pace down the narrow corridor. Just as I'm about to reach for the doorknob, the door swings open, causing me to let out a small shriek.

"Eeek! Yellow, you scared me!" Platinum, one of my coworkers, screeches as she takes a step back to let me in.

I give her an apologetic smile, and pat her shoulder gently as she heads out of the room.

"You better hurry up and get changed, Yellow. It's nearly opening time," Platinum calls over her shoulder as she walks down the corridor.

"I know," I reply, and close the door. With a sigh, I headed towards the wardrobe and pulled out my uniform.

* * *

Three minutes later, I was standing before the mirror in the changing room, scrutinising my reflection, and fixing my hair into a ponytail. I twirled around slowly, and smiled when I was finally satisfied with my appearance.

I should probably explain. Here at Gracideas, we are different from other cafes in many ways. For instance, the staff here donned cute maid and butler uniforms. The female waitstaff wear short black dresses and white aprons, accompanied with black high heels and a white maid cap. On the other hand, the male waitstaff wear white dress shirts, black pants, black vests and bow ties.

Our boss, Cynthia, lets the waitstaff style our hair in any way we like, and she's always ready with an endless supply of cute accessories if we need it.

Another example of how we differ from other cafes is that we have two different shifts — day shift and night shift. The day shift operates like any other cafe, with the waitstaff serving customers as per normal. But at night, the atmosphere shifts, and another set of waitstaff come to take over. More tables and chairs are brought in, and stage equipment are set up on a small stage. The night shift waitstaff will then not only serve food and drinks, but some will also perform a few songs to entertain the customers.

The night life is more bustling, unlike the day life which carries a sweeter atmosphere. The day shift waitstaff carry sweet and cute personalities, unlike the night shift waitstaff, which are more dangerous and outgoing.

* * *

"Ahh Yellow, you look adorable!"

I grin at my boss, Cynthia, who's standing before me with a wide smile. Boss (she insists that we call her either Boss, Oneesama or Big Sister) is a great friend and like an older sister to us. She looks out for all of us and always considers our opinions before making decisions for the cafe.

"Now go on and help the others," she says with a smile. "I think Ruby could do with some help with the menus."

* * *

The cafe opens promptly at ten in the morning, with a steady number of customers trickling in. There's a huge number of them, from regulars to newcomers, from old folks to young couples.

Smiling brightly, I take a tray from the counter in the kitchen and head out to serve the customers along with the other waiters and waitresses, prepared to pull what Boss calls, "the cute charm".

* * *

Several hours later, I collapse into a chair in the back room, gratefully accepting a glass of water from the head chef, Diamond.

"Thanks Dia," I say gratefully, smiling up at him.

"Aw it's no problem," the younger boy says, ruffling his hair awkwardly. "All you waiters and waitresses deserve a break every now and then."

"You could say that again!"

"Dia! Is there anything to eat?"

Diamond rolls his eyes, while I grin at the duo who had just entered.

"I could really do with a smoothie now Diamond!" A young blonde says cheerfully, batting her eyelashes at the head chef.

"Later, Bianca, during your lunch break," Diamond says with a grin. "I wish I could say that to Black over there!"

The male waiter is scurrying around the kitchen, clearly looking for something to eat, and successfully disturbing the other chefs.

"Leave him alone, Black!" Bianca calls across the room, as Black tries (and fails) to steal some cookies cooling on a wire rack. A short blonde boy on stilts, swats at his hands, causing the brunet to give up and return to his friends.

The blonde boy, Emerald, expertly places a few cookies on a clean plate, arranging them neatly, before putting them on an empty tray.

"Hey," Emerald calls, bringing the tray over. "This one goes to table four. Who's gonna go and serve it to them?"

"I'll go," I say, standing up and taking the tray from the younger boy.

"Go Yellow," Black cheers, as he makes a dive for the empty seat. Unfortunately, Bianca beats him to it and plonks herself down triumphantly. Diamond and Emerald roll their eyes, before returning back to work.

Balancing the tray carefully, I make my way out into the cafe again.

* * *

"Finally, shift's over!"

I laugh as I glance over at Crystal, one of the waitresses working in the day shift. She's changed out of her uniform and is currently perched on one of the bar stools, swinging her legs.

It's five o'clock in the evening, and the day shift is over. Most of the staff have changed out of their uniforms and are just hanging around the cafe, chatting amongst themselves.

"Come on, Silver! Hurry up!" Crystal complains, tapping her fingers impatiently on the bar's smooth surface. I hold back a grin.

"What's with you?" Silver mutters, eventually handing over a banana smoothie to the impatient girl, and handing a strawberry smoothie to me.

"Thanks Silv," we chorus, and laugh when he flinches at the nickname. Although Silver may appear all cold and unfriendly most of the time, he's actually a big softie, and likes to act like a big brother to us. Whenever the day-shift waitresses are moving around the cafe, he's always keeping a watchful eye on us, making sure that no one dared to lay a finger on us.

"What about me?" a red-eyed boy whines, settling himself next to us and propping his elbows onto the bar. Ruby is one of the waiters working in the day shift, and like Silver, also acts like a big brother to us waitresses.

"They deserve it," Silver says, swatting the younger waiter with a dish towel.

Ruby dodges out of the way, howling about how the drips of water from the dish towel had splattered all over his jacket.

"It's new! I just got it last week!"

"Oh shut it, Ruby!"

* * *

After watching them bicker for a while, Crystal and I turn their backs on them and start talking again.

"Are you staying behind today?" Crystal asks after taking a sip out of her smoothie.

"I don't think so," I reply, fiddling with the straw in my half-finished drink.

"Aww come on, Yellow!" Bianca bursts in, grabbing one of the cafe chairs and sitting down with us. "You hardly come and hang out with us, right, Wally?"

The shy, green-haired day shift-waiter by the name of Wally, shifts about awkwardly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, it's up to Yellow whether she—"

"Nonsense," yelps Bianca, cutting off Wally and turning towards me. "Come on Yellow! Stay and watch the performances with us!"

"No," I say, earning myself a pout from Bianca and amused smiles from Wally and Crystal.

I honestly don't know why I don't stay behind to watch the night shift rehearsals. I guess it's just not my kind of thing.

* * *

"Now who is this lovely lady over here?"

One of the night-shift waiters, Gold, is standing next to Crystal, his namesake eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Go away!" Crystal shrieks, blushing wildly as Gold wraps an arm around her waist.

"Aww come on—"

Before he can reply, Silver leans across the bar table and smacks Gold across the head.

"Don't touch her with your dirty hands," the redhead snaps, pulling a red-faced Crystal away from the gold-eyed boy.

"Ow! I was just asking her out, stupid. There's no need to get all defensive!"

"Stop flirting with the day-shift waitresses! And who are you calling stupid?"

"Ow!"

I stifle a grin as the two start to bicker. Although their personalities clash and they argue a lot, they're actually best friends.

* * *

After draining the remains of my smoothie, I glanced at the clock, I realised that I had to head home soon as it would get dark soon. Picking up my bag, I called goodbye to the rest of the cafe crew, and slowly made my way out.

Just as my I was about to reach for the doorknob, the door suddenly swung open as another night-shift member walked in.

There were droplets of rain caught in the strands of his black hair, and his jacket was spotted with raindrops. Upon seeing me, his face lit up and his eyes sparkled with an unnameable emotion.

His name was Red. He was one of the night shift waiters and was extremely popular among the female customers.

He was kind of good looking, I guess.

* * *

"Hey there, Yellow," Red said, smiling down at me as he adjusted the guitar strap on his shoulder. "Are you staying to watch us?"

"No," I said apologetically, tilting my head up so I could look at him.

For a moment after hearing my answer, a disappointed look flitted across his face and his smile wavered a little. But I must have imagined it because when I blinked, he was smiling brightly at me again.

"Take care then," he said as moved to the side so I could pass him.

"See you tomorrow, Red," I called cheerfully before heading outside, waving to him just before the door swung shut.

* * *

However... I'm not sure if I imagined it, but I could've sworn he blushed slightly just before I left.

* * *

_AN  
Bleurgh. That was way shorter than I thought it would be. Anyway, like I said at the beginning, the credit for this cafe idea should be for Giselle d'Angouleme, not me. Our story plots are different though. By the way, just to let you guys know, I'll be experimenting with more happier stories, since I always feel bad about making people cry with my tragedies. This is also my first multi-chapter fic... :P I hope you guys enjoyed it!_

To be honest, I don't even know where this story is going. I just had an idea for the first chapter, and when I finished it, I was like "Okay, I'm done for the first chapter... Now what?". If you guys have any suggestions, do let me know through reviews or PMs! :D It'll give me more inspiration for the second chapter :D

Just in case some people are unsure:  
Cafe Gracideas staff  
Boss- Cynthia  
Day-shift waitstaff  
Waiters: Silver, Ruby, Wally, Black  
Waitresses: Yellow, Crystal, Platinum, Bianca  
Chefs: Emerald (cuz he's too short to be a waiter lol), Diamond (head chef)  
Night-shift waitstaff  
Gold, Red

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_AN_

_Oops, completely forgot to mention that this story will contain SpecialShipping (duh), OldrivalShipping, MangaquestShipping, FranticShipping, CommonerShipping, AgencyShipping and CherenBianca. And a hell lot of friendshippy ships lying around._

_This chapter is specially for Searching. For. Enadi, who helped me get my act together and write this chapter, and managed to snap me out of my writer's block. Thank you, Enadi!_

* * *

__(Love is when you look into someone's eyes and see everything you need.)

* * *

It was Monday, and it was raining heavily again. I glanced around the near-empty cafe. Despite it being mid-morning, there were hardly any customers around. There was only a couple seated at a table near the window, sharing a cake and chatting to one another as they watched the rain falling outside. They made an odd pair ― the woman had long brown hair and a sweet smile, and the man had on a denim blue jacket and a bored expression. Despite his bored expression, he seemed to be paying attention to his companion, and his eyes held a soft emotion as he gazed back at her.

"They make an odd pair, don't they?" Ruby says, polishing the glass in his hand carefully as he looks up to see what I'm looking at. I smile at him, and Wally and Platinum chuckle next to me.

Since there weren't any customers, Silver, Bianca and Crystal had gone to help Boss with some paperwork, while Ruby, Wally, Platinum and I were sitting at the bar, eating slices of cake that Diamond had brought out for us.

"Like you and Sapphire?" Wally asks, smirking slightly as he looks at his friend. Ruby stiffens and cleans the glass in his hand with more force than necessary.

"There's nothing between us," the red-eyed boy grimaces, glaring at Wally, who simply shrugs and returns to his cake. I glance at Platinum to see her reaction, but she's too busy devouring her slice of cream pie to pay attention to what's going on.

"By the way, where's Black?" I ask. At my remark, Wally stifles a laugh and Ruby relaxes at the change of topic. Platinum, having finished her pie, looks up with interest as well.

"Last night, some guy tried to hit on White," Ruby says, resting his elbow on the table as he looks at us. "Even when she told him get lost and slapped his arm away, he wouldn't leave."

"What happened after that?" Platinum asks.

"Black already wasn't exactly in the best mood when that man started hitting on White, so he snapped when the guy grabbed her hand," Wally cuts in. "And then Black went crazy. He pushed the guy away and started punching him."

"He wasn't hurt," Ruby assured us quickly. "Cheren and N intervened and managed to pull Black off."

"Unfortunately, Cheren and N were equally mad that someone tried to hit on one of their best friends, and were ready to beat the daylights out of that jerk," Wally laughs, pausing for a moment to eat a forkful of cake. "In the end, it was Bianca who had to lead the three of them away before another fight broke out."

"How did Bianca do it?" I ask curiously.

"She yanked Black and N away by pulling their ears, and gave Cheren a good kick in his shin," Ruby says, smiling.

"That still doesn't explain why Black took the day off," Platinum points out, frowning slightly at the two men before her.

"He was still pretty mad about the whole incident, so Cheren kept giving him more shots to keep his anger under control. Sadly, he passed out and we―" Ruby pauses and points at himself and then at Wally. "― had to leave early to drag Black home."

"And Ruby was miserable because he didn't get to see Sapphire perform," Wally finishes, ignoring he glare that the red-eyed man shot at him.

"Was everyone at the day-shift there?" I ask. To my relief, Wally shakes his head. Not everyone stays behind every day. Only Black and Bianca stay behind a few times a week. Ruby, Wally, Diamond and Platinum show up at least once a week. Crystal, Silver and I barely stay behind. Crystal's always busy, and Silver just doesn't like crowds.

As for me, I guess I don't have any good reasons for not showing up. I'm more content to simply stay at home and flick through channels on my television than hang out till late hours, partying the night away.

* * *

Customers began drifting in, and cafe life soon picked up again. It was even busier because Boss instructed Bianca to leave early to go and take care of Black, who was suffering the effects of a bad headache. Apparently, Cheren overdid the cocktails and ended up giving Black one glass too many. Then again, Black sucked at holding his liquor.

It was only until a couple of hours later did I manage to find time to collapse into a bar stool to take a break. Platinum was sitting next to me once again, happily eating yet another slice of cream pie.

"Didn't you already eat a slice this morning?" I asked, glancing at her plate dubiously. The cream pie was one of Diamond's best dishes, and it also happened to be Platinum's favourite dessert. Thus, the chef always made one for her at least once or twice a week. The cream pie tasted delicious, but I always felt that it was a little too sweet for my taste. Platinum, on the other hand, always acted like she hadn't eaten for a week whenever a slice of pie was given to her.

"Dia asked if I wanted another slice," replied Platinum, her face colouring slightly as she mentioned her best friend's name. I smiled inwardly. It was no big secret that the head chef had a small crush on her. They had been childhood friends, along with their other friend, Pearl, who was working in the night-shift. Diamond had always looked out for Platinum, and like Ruby and Silver, were rather protective of her. Whenever she stayed back in the cafe to watch the night-shift performances, he would accompany her without complaint (his excuse the next morning would be that he was trying to show support for his best friend and neighbour, Pearl, but everyone knew that he simply wanted to walk Platinum home after the cafe closed).

It was only quite recently that Platinum seemed to get flustered around him. Even simple gestures like eating lunch or chatting with him could cause her to blush deeply and start stammering. Bianca and Black had noticed this, and Diamond and Platinum were often teased until Crystal stepped in and swatted them on the heads.

Snapping out of my daze, I glanced at the younger girl. She had stopped eating the pie and was now simply staring at the remains of it. She was twirling the fork in random circles, and she had a small smile on her face as she gazed at the pie. I rested my cheek on my palm as I tried to hide my smile. Diamond had been having a crush on his best friend for a few months now, and it seems that his small gestures were paying off.

"This one is for table six!" Diamond's voice interrupted. I glanced up to see the chef handing me a tray with several dishes. He smiled cheerfully at me, but when he turned to look at Platinum, his smile softened and his eyes crinkled at the corners as she gazed back up at him. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I took the tray from Diamond, and left hurriedly.

As I stole a glance back at my juniors, I wondered if anyone would look at me the same way. Shaking my head, I proceeded to continue with my job, and headed towards table six, deciding to leave the two alone.

* * *

"You're early."

The woman shrugged, settling herself onto the bar stool and resting her elbows on the bar's smooth surface. Her companion was leaning against a bar stool with his arms crossed, wearing a stoic expression.

Green and Blue.

Like Diamond and Platinum, they were close friends. However, unlike the younger duo, Green and Blue had an on-off relationship. Each time we saw them, they were either in a relationship or 'just friends'. Either way, the two had somehow not allowed their complicated relationship to affect their friendship, and were always happy with whatever relationship status they had at that moment.

Apparently, they weren't dating as of now, but seemed to simply be enjoying each other's company.

"We couldn't decide where to have dinner," Blue said, tapping her fingernails against the bar surface, answering my question and easily ignoring the venomous looks Ruby was shooting at her. She continued tapping her fingers, fully aware that it was only seconds before Ruby exploded about her leaving scratches on the bar top, or chipping her light blue nail polish.

"What she meant was that she's simply trying to get a discount by eating here," Green mutters, slapping his companion's hand in an attempt to stop the annoying tapping, and to stop Ruby from hyperventilating.

"And Green offered to pay for our dinner!" Blue says happily, wrenching her hand from under Green's grip so she can ruffle his hair with it. The man grimaces, but doesn't move away.

"She swiped my wallet while I wasn't looking," he says to me, while Ruby starts blabbing about how Green's hairstyle is ruined. He finally jerked away from Blue, and scowled at the brunette. "Annoying woman."

Anyone would have flinched at Green's glare, but Blue simply smiled back at him. Eventually, Green's glare softened and he looked away, his cheeks reddening slightly. Blue noticed this, and smiled knowingly at me. Even though they broke up multiple times a year over small squabbles, they still had a soft spot for each other, and it usually wasn't long before they ended up dating again.

* * *

"Another great day comes to an end," Wally says to me, yawning and stretching his arms.

I nod in reply. The rest of the day-shift employees are huddled in small groups, chatting, or just mingling around to hear some of the night-shift employees rehearse. Blue, Silver, Ruby and Platinum are seated at one of the empty tables, poring over a magazine. Well, Blue and Ruby were squealing happily, while Silver and Platinum looked on and gave the occasional comment. Crystal, Diamond and Emerald were sitting near the stage, watching Green and a few other night-shift employees rehearse. Wally and I were seated at another empty table, half-listening to Blue's and Ruby's chatter, and half-listening to the rehearsal.

"Is anyone staying to watch tonight's rehearsal?" I asked Wally, trying to block out Blue's excited shrieks as I waited for his answer.

"I don't think so," Wally says, shrugging as he looked around the room. "Since Bianca isn't around to pester anyone into joining Black and her, I doubt anyone's staying behind today."

"Was Boss mad about Black yesterday?" I ask, thinking about the incident that had left the brunet ill.

"No, she gave him a high-five," Wally shrugs, smirking slightly at the memory. He checks his watch, and stands to leave. "Hey, I have to go, or I'll miss my train."

"I'm leaving soon too," I tell him, and wave as he leaves.

* * *

"Aww, leaving so soon?"

Blue smiles as I pass her table. Silver and Platinum waves when I return the smile. Ruby is caught in a headlock from his childhood friend, Sapphire, but manages to choke out a goodbye and give me a thumbs-up and a reassuring smile when I glance at him worriedly. Shrugging, I turned and continued walking to the main entrance.

Upon reaching the entrance, I saw that it was still raining heavily. And to my utmost horror, I realised that I had forgotten my umbrella. Glancing at the white cotton blouse I was currently wearing and looking back up at the pouring rain, I calculated the odds of me returning home dry.

The odds weren't exactly very high.

I stared miserably at the rain, wondering whether I should wait for one of the other day-shift employees or just simply run through the rain and risk getting wet. Glancing back at the cafe, I saw the rest of my coworkers laughing happily, and decided that falling ill was a much better option than ruining my coworkers' fun.

* * *

"Hey Yellow."

I pivoted on my heel, and was surprised to see Red standing behind me. He had not changed into his uniform yet, and was still in his street clothes ― a black sleeveless shirt, a dark green jacket with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, faded jeans and sneakers.

"Terrible weather, huh?" Red said, running a hand through his hair as he smiled at me. He nodded towards the door. "Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah," I said, glancing worriedly at the rain. "I have to get to the train station soon." The rain hadn't even lightened up while I was torn between running through the rain or borrowing an umbrella from my coworkers. In fact, it seemed to start raining even more heavily.

"Do you have an umbrella?" Red suddenly asked, staring at me curiously. I shook my head, and he reached out to the umbrella stand and withdrew a dark red umbrella before handing it to me. "You can borrow mine."

Before I could nod and thank him, his smile widened, as if a thought had just crossed his mind. Looking down at me, he grinned.

"Would you mind if I walked you to the station?"

* * *

_AN_

_Special thanks to xxxDreamingFlowersxxx for contributing some ideas, and Ryo Isami for giving me lots of encouragement and pushing me to complete this chapter XD_

_Like OMG, I am really really sorry for not updating sooner. I got caught up with a new anime, K, and I also had this terrible writer's block where I had practically zero motivation and inspiration. Then, all of a sudden I had this rush of motivation and ended up writing this chapter fairly quickly :D_

_Anyway, in this story, I would like to highlight the friendships among the dexholders. I want to emphasize on two different groups of friendship. One of the groups is highlighting the respective regions cliques (sorry I have no idea how to phrase that). Cliques, like the Kanto four, the Johto trio, Sinnoh trio, etc. I think that by being from the same region and when saving the world together, they have a special kinship that separates them from others. So that is one group of friendship I would like to emphasize on. Friendshippy ships ftw :D the main couple pairings are in my AN above :)_

_Another group of friendship I want to emphasize on is the starter type groups (again I have absolutely no idea how to phrase it. I apologize :P). Groups, like the fire-starter group (Green, Gold, Sapphire, Pearl), water-starter group, idk-where-they-belong group (Yellow, Wally, N). You'll see a bit of friendships revolving around these groups. Eg, in this story, I included a bit of interaction between the water-starter group. And I put all the fire-starter members in the night-shift so they can have fiery performances! *shot multiple times for lame pun*. As for the Unova dex holders, I'm not that sure about the BW arc so I have yet to list them down in the respective starter groups :P_

_Anyway, thanks for reading! Unfortunately, chapter 3 will take a backseat for a while, because I am working on a Mangaquest story for the time being. Look out for it soon! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

(before i met you, i never knew what it was like to be able to look at someone and smile for no reason.)

* * *

"What?" I exclaimed, stepping back in surprise as I looked back up at him.

"I said, I'll walk with you to the station," he repeated, shaking the umbrella gently to remove the raindrops. "I'll borrow another umbrella from Green or somebody so you can take mine home with you, while I use the other umbrella to come back to the cafe."

"But aren't you supposed to be rehearsing now?" I asked, feeling a little guilty. I didn't want to interrupt his rehearsals with his co-workers for a small matter like this.

"They'll be fine, and I'm not performing tonight anyway," Red replied. "Green, Gold, Sapphire and Pearl wanted to do a new song tonight anyway."

"But―" I protested, ready to refuse his offer, but Red wouldn't hear me out. Instead, he yelled over to Green that he was taking his umbrella, and without bothering to wait for the brunet's reply, he walked over to the umbrella stand and took out another umbrella, this one being a dark shade of grey.

"Come on," he said, opening the cafe's door and holding it open. "Let's go."

Realising that there was no way I could change his mind, I sighed and headed outside.

* * *

Now we were walking in silence, not knowing what to say, but simply enjoying each other's company. Red's umbrella was just big enough for two, but even then I still had to walk closely to him to prevent myself from getting wet.

"I wonder what your boyfriend would say if he saw you walking with me," Red says, grinning at me. I jolt at the sudden question, and then when his question sinks in, I feel my cheeks redden at the thought.

"Eh? I don't have one," I say awkwardly, twisting the hem of my denim skirt to avoid looking at him. I let my fringe cover my eyes, blocking his amused gaze.

"Oh? Really?" he drawls, twirling the umbrella handle. I nod silently, trying to control the blush that was rapidly blooming across my cheeks.

"I thought a pretty girl like you would have had a long term boyfriend by now."

If my face wasn't red before, I'm pretty sure my face is a dark crimson by now. I don't trust myself to speak just yet, so I focus on my surroundings, looking at the people walking past, watching the rain fall, enjoying the peace and quiet...

"AIEEEEEE! It's Red!"

Scratch that. Within seconds, the calm, enjoyable atmosphere is brutally destroyed as a pair of girls approaches us. Their eyes are shining as they look at Red, but upon seeing me, they frown and their eyes narrow. Still, they force smiles on their faces and beam at Red.

"Fancy seeing you here!"; "Are you performing tonight?"

"No, I'm not," Red says politely, nudging me to the side so we can overtake them. Unfortunately, the girls mimic our steps and stands in front of us again.

"But we really wanted to hear you sing," one of the girl wails as she steps forward, tugging on his arm. Red tries to pull away, frowning slightly, but fails when the girl tightens her grip around his wrist.

"We loved the song you did with that other girl the other night!" The other girl squeals, grabbing his other hand. For a moment, the umbrella shifts and a sudden splash of rain descends on me, soaking me. At this, the other two girls grin mockingly, and one of the girls angles the umbrella to prevent Red from coming to my aid. I shriek as the cold rainwater splashes onto me, and Red shoots me a worried glance before glaring at the other two girls.

"Leave her alone," he snaps at the two girls, and his harsh voice causes them to step back, alarmed. He lifts the umbrella over me again, and I wrap my arms around my body, shivering slightly. Once he sees that I'm safely under the umbrella again, he takes my hand and leads us away from the two girls.

* * *

"Thanks," I say softly, raking through my blonde hair. It's hanging in rats tails after being in the rain, and I'm certain I must look awful. My white blouse is also soaked pretty badly, and my denim skirt has dark spots of rain on it.

"Are you all right?" Red asks carefully, taking in my dishevelled appearance. "You're shivering."

"I'm fine," I say, trying not to show how cold I actually was. Today was definitely not my lucky day. I was cold, wet, and my clothes were clinging to me like a second skin.

"Here hold this for a moment."

Red shoves the umbrella at me, and before I could ask him anything, he shrugs off his jacket and hands it to me.

"Here. Put this on."

"No I'm fine, really," I squeaked. My face was starting to colour up again. I honestly didn't want to cause him so much trouble. He had already offered to walk me to the station, defended me against the two girls, and now he was offering his jacket.

He didn't seem to hear my answer, and simply shoves the dark green garment into my hands.

"I insist."

* * *

When we finally arrive at the station, I'm not shivering anymore, thanks to Red's jacket. However, I can't help but feel self-conscious, because not only am I soaking wet, I am also wearing a jacket that's at least a couple of sizes big. To top it off, there are plenty of girls looking enviously at me, before turning their admiring eyes to Red. I turn to look at him, but he doesn't seem to notice the girls gazing at him. His attention is only focused on me, and he smiles lightly when he sees me looking at me.

"Thank you," I say quietly, breaking the awkward silence after we have been looking at each other for far too long.

"What for?" Red ask, surprised. He smile widens, and something stirs in my heart, causing me to look away.

"You know. For everything."

"Oh it's nothing," Red replies, waving his hand. He hands me his umbrella, and shakes his head when I attempt to shrug off his jacket. I smile gratefully, and as I turn to leave, he suddenly reaches out and grabs my hand.

"Hey, um, if you don't mind, you can always count on me to walk you to the station if you ever forget your umbrella," Red stammers. His confident demeanour is gone, and before me stands an embarrassed man whose cheeks are tinged a slight shade of red.

"I'll remember that," I reply quietly. To my embarrassment, my own cheeks are heated up.

For a moment, it seemed like time stopped when I looked at him. His eyes held that emotion from the day before again. Was it fondness? Or something else? I couldn't really put my finger on it. The evening crowd pushes past us, not bothering to acknowledge us as they hurry to their destinations. But for a moment, I didn't really care about the people pushing their way beside us. I just couldn't tear my gaze from the man standing before me.

Suddenly, a person bumps into both of us and we snap out of our trance, blushing. Before I can apologize, he lets go of my hand and waves, before disappearing into the sea of people.

* * *

"Someone has a boyfriend!" ; "Come on, tell us everything!"

Upon entering the cafe the next day, my left arm was instantly hugged by an ecstatic blonde, and my right arm was being grabbed by a brunet. Despite working with them for years, it never ceases to amaze me that how Bianca and Black were able to snag the latest gossip despite not actually being at the cafe at the time.

"Who has a boyfriend?" Silver asks ominously, his eyes sharp as he scrutinised the three of us. Crystal rolls her eyes and tugs him lightly on his arm to drag him away, flashing me a knwowing smile when she caught my eye.

"I don't have a boyfriend!" I say desperately, wrenching my arms away from the two youngsters' iron-like grip.

"White says she saw you two sharing an umbrella!" Bianca persists, clasping her hands in front of her and beaming at me. "She called out to the two of you across the street but you didn't hear or see her!"

"And she says you guys were blushing!" Black adds smugly, punching a fist on his other hand as if to make a point.

"I wasn't―" I stammered, trying to think of a reasonable excuse so I could get away from them, but my mind fell blank.

"Quit messing with Yellow," a smooth voice interrupts us.

"Show some respect to your fellow coworkers," another voice ― this one albeit more feminine― calls out.

I can feel myself being pulled away, and let out a sigh of relief. Ignoring the whines of the younger waitstaff, I followed the two who had come to my aid into the back room. When the door clicks shut, Ruby and Platinum immediately turn to me, their eyes shining with excitement. Platinum was wearing an earnest expression, the kind she had on whenever one of the waitstaff showed her a new skill, and Ruby was practically radiating some kind of ecstatic aura.

"So is it true?"; "Are you really seeing Red?"

"Oh for crying out loud!"

* * *

Throughout the day, I was the main target for everyone. I was constantly bombarded by questions, and after I answered them, I was immediately interrupted by someone else who demanded to know the exact same thing.

But still, thoughts of the walk I had with him surfaced every now and then. I remembered every single detail, from the way he expressed concern towards me after the incident with the two girls, and the way he would smile at me, his eyes bright with merriment. My face heated up at the thought.

"She's blushing."

"Her face is all red."

"Calm down, Silver. You're not her elder brother or something."

Startled, I looked up at the three faces peering at me. Silver had his arms crossed and looked concerned yet disgruntled at the same time; Crystal's eyes held amusement and lastly, Ruby's smile was so wide that it must be a pain to actually withhold it.

"Are you okay?" Crystal asked. "You had this dreamy expression and you were blushing."

"I'm okay," I squeaked, chiding myself mentally for blushing, and pushing my chair away so I could make my way to the kitchen. Unfortunately, Ruby beat me to it and was clinging on to my arm, his eyes pleading.

"Come on, Yellow! We're best friends, aren't we?"

I looked over at Silver and Crystal for help, but Crystal simply shrugged and smiled, whereas Silver formed a cross with his arms and shook his head, mouthing one word ― Blue.

Ah.

Ruby was very close to Blue, and was sure to spill the beans to her in seconds, probably in exchange for some fashion tips or shopping discounts. If I were to tell Ruby anything, he would definitely twist the story a little more when talking to Blue. And if Boss caught wind of it, she would probably be planning my _marriage_ within a week. With that in mind, I wrenched my arm from Ruby, and stomped off to the kitchen, knowing that Emerald and Diamond would leave me alone to gather my thoughts.

* * *

As closing time and the change of shifts drew closer, I began to wonder whether I should stay behind tonight. Wally had told me that Black was trying to organise some kind of day-shift gathering for all of us, and had sent him ― Wally that is― to persuade me to join them. Meanwhile, Black and Bianca managed to get Ruby and Diamond to try and persuade the other two workaholics, Silver and Crystal to tag along.

Of course, if they had asked me any other day, I would have agreed to come without a second thought. But after yesterday, butterflies were fluttering in my stomach at the thought of seeing Red again. On one hand, I wanted to avoid him at all costs and leave as early as possible so I wouldn't see him, but on the other hand...

"So are you going?" Wally asked, fiddling with his thumbs. "Cos Bianca threatened to beat me up if I didn't get a positive answer out of you."

"I'll have to think about it," I say, standing up when I see Emerald coming over to hand a tray full of pastries. Thankful for the distraction, I take it from him before Wally can, and then head over to serve the customers. As I work, I'm still mentally debating over the decision that I would have to make eventually.

* * *

"Come on Yellow," pleaded Bianca. "Everyone's staying tonight. Even Silver!"

I glance over at Silver, surprised. He catches my eye and mouths "Crystal, before rolling his eyes. Unfortunately, Crystal sees him and punches his arm, exasperated. My attention is drawn back to Bianca when she taps my nose gently (well actually, not so gently because this is _Bianca_), and pouts at my lack of interest.

"Please? It won't be the same without you."

Well, I supposed there was really no harm in just having a night out with my coworkers and friends. Even though crowds and loud parties weren't what I had in mind for the evening, at least I'll get some peace for the remaining few minutes of work.

"Oh fine!" I throw my hands up in exasperation. "I'll come."

"Really? You're coming tonight?"

Those simple four words sends a shiver down my spine, and causes my heart to skip a beat. A smile spreads across my face. I don't have to turn around to even see who it is.

"Yes, I am."

* * *

_AN:_

_Happy Birthday Yellow! For some reason, I have problems updating my profile, so Ill just include my 'author updates' here. Friendzoned part 2 will be uploaded on Crystal's birthday :D _

_Oh, and I just started reading the HGSS arc. I know, slow right? Well, cos volume 41 just came out from where I lived, so I managed to get a copy like a few days ago. Sadly, I am suffering from a lot of SpecialJewel shipping feels ;_; there was so much SilverCrystal in that volume ;_; Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go and tape my broken MangaQuest heart back together again._

_Thank you so much for all the reviews, and thanks so much for adding this story to your alert list and favourites list. I really really really appreciate it guys. You guys are awesome :D Thank you so so so much!_


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